Drawbar and anchor



Od- 29, 1940- H. E. VAN DoRN v DRAWBAB AND ANCHOR 2 .sheets-sheet 1 -Fi'led uarcn s. 1939 v O Cff 29. 1940- H. E. VAN DoRN DRAwBAR AND-ANCHOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Harsh 3, 1939 Patented Oct. 29, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRAWBAR AND ANCHOR Illinois Application March 3, 1939, Serial No. 259,492

7 Claims.

A common type of dr'aft gear for coupling together cars of city railways is that in which the apparatus is so mounted that the coupler head may swing laterally across the entire width of a car, swing up and down, and turn about a longitudinal axis. Often the pivotal connection is made at the centerof the bolster but, at other times, it is desirable that the connection between the draft gear and the car frame be located forwardly of the bolster. When the pivoting or anchoring point is ahead of the bolster, the actual drawbar, including the coupler head, must project farther beyond the end of the car, when in its central position, in order to prevent two connected cars from striking each other at their' adjacent inner corners while travelling around a sharp curve.

One of the objects of the present invention is to produce a simple and novel draft rigging which will aiord the desired clearance between cars going around a sharp curve, where the pivot point is in front of the bolster, without requiring the coupler head to project beyond the end of the car to an undesirable extent.

Viewed in another of its aspects, the present invention may be said to have for its object to produce a novel draft rigging adapted to be anchored to a car in front of the bolster and permit the coupler head to swing from one side of the car to the other, move up and down, and turn about a longitudinal axis.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularly in the claims; but, for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, where- Figure 1 is a top plan View of a draft rigging embodying the present invention, the coupler being indicated in outline by means of dotted lines; Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, but on a larger scale; Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, I represents a sturdy base plate adapted to be secured to the underside of a car in front of the bolster, in any suitable manner. Integral with the member I is a sturdy, downwardly-projecting central post 2 of large diameter. The post proper is in the form of a thick sleeve having a transverse wall 3 closing the upper end. Fitting around this post `so as to be rotatable about the same is a bearing member 4 in the form of a horizontal cylinder flattened on the upper and under sides. The member 4 is held against dropping down by means of a circular supporting plate 5 bearing against the lower end face of the post and some- 5 What larger in diameter than the post so as to overlap the at under face of the member 4. The plate 5 has on the upper side a central frustoconical hub 6 that fits into a complementary internal seat 'I in the lower end of the post. A bolt 10 8 extends down through the horizontal wall 3 at the top of the post and through the supporting plate 5. On the bolt, below7 the plate 5, is a nut E?. The head I0, of the bolt lies between ledges I I in a central trough or recess produced by the downwardly extending stiiening ribs which unite the post to the anchor plate I, thereby preventing the bolt from turning unless it is lifted high enough to cause the head to clear the ledges.

The car coupler may be of any usual or prey ferred type that has a rearwardly projecting shank of kconsiderable length. The rear end of this shank is in the form of a barrel I2 which serves as a housing for a spring I4. This spring lies between and abuts at its ends against follower 25 plates I5 and i6, respectively; the plate I5 bearing against the vertical face I'I in the rear end of the housing, while the plate I6 bears against a similar vertical face I8 at the front end of the spring chamber. Extending lengthwise through the spring chamber, at the axis of the latter, is a sturdy cylindrical rod I9 which, of course, passes through the centers of the follower plates and keeps the follower plates and the spring from dropping down through the open bottomv 20 of the spring housing. The surface I8 forms the rear face of a thick partition 2l in the hollow coupler shank or drawbar. This partition contains an opening considerably larger in diameter than the cylindrical rod I9. Surrounding the rod I9 within this opening is a sleeve 22 which serves rotatably to support the iront end of the rod. On the rod I9, in front of the sleeve 22 is a nut 24. The surface I'I against which the rear follower abuts is the front face of a thick transverse partition 25 atvthe rear end of the drawbar. This partition, also, is provided with a large central opening. Extending into this opening, from the rear, is a short sleeve-like stem 26 into which the rear end of the rod or bolt I9 is screwed. This 50 stern, like the sleeve 22 at the forward end of the rod or bolt, serves as a rotatable `support for the rod or bolt. At the rear end of the rod or bolt I9 are a pair of projecting lugs 21, spaced apart from each other. A pin 28 extending through 155 the stem 26 between the lugs, prevents the bolt or rod from being unscrewed until the pin is first removed.

The tubular stem 26 forms part of the device which cooperates with the bearing member 4 of the anchoring device to provide up and down as well as lateral swinging movements of the drawbar; the rotary or oscillatory movements about the longitudinal axis being permitted by reason of the fact that the entire spring housing may turn about the bolt or rod I9. The anchor member of which the stem 26 forms part or to which it is connected can be described roughly as comprising a thick rectangular block divided along a transverse, central, vertical plane; the sides of the two halves that face each other being properly shaped to fit against the curved cylindrical surfaces of the member 4. The mouths or inlets 29 into the upper and lower ends, respectively, of the cavity 30 within the divided block 3l, are made larger in diameter than the adjacent portion of the post 2 and the supporting plate 5, whereby the anchoring block or member 3| may rock up and down through a small angle before its movement is arrested by some stationary part. The member 3l can of course turn around barrel-like post 2, along with the member 4 without limit except such as is imposed by the usual supporting segment, not shown, at the end of the car.

In the arrangement shown, lthe two halves of the member 3| are fastened together by four bolts 32, 2 on each side of and parallel with the longitudinal axis of the car; the bolts on each side being arranged one above the other.

In order to assist in preserving the desired relationship between the bearing members 4 and 3 l, the member 4 may have at its sides short trunnions 33 co-axial with the cylindrical faces of the member ll. rIhese trunnions t into cylindrical sockets 34 forming parts of the chamber or cavity within the member 3l.

The openings in the walls or partitions 2! and 25 may be lined with suitable wearing sleeves cr bushings v35, so that the wear due to the relative movements between the spring housing and the members 22 and 26 comes upon these wearing members and not on the spring housing itself.

All of the parts of my improved device are accurately machined wherever necessary to in sure a good bearing between two relative movable parts or accurate alignment or adjustment of the various elements. Consequently each of the separate movements of the coupler head takes place smoothly and freely. In other words, the bearings between the spring housing and the members 22 and 29 are of suicient length that there will be no binding action as the coupler moves in the lengthwise direction under bufling and pulling forces, or when the coupler turns about its longitudinal axis; the post 2 is suinciently longr and of sufficient diameter that the drawbar and the bearing member l therein can swing freely from side to side; and the combined areas of the cylindrical surfaces of the member 4 and the trunnions on the latter; is so large that the drawbar can always swing easily up and do-wn around the transverse axis of the bearing member'll. The large bearing surfaces between the member and the post 2 and between the member 4 and the surrounding member 3l insure that the load will at no time be too much concentratedbut will always be distributed so that the pressure per unit of area will always be moderate."`

It will be seen that my improved anchoring arrangement does not require that any portion of the stationary member underlie the drawbar; the only element that really lies below the drawbar being the nut 9 on the lower end of the bolt 8. Thus there remains a maximum amount of free space below the rear end of the draft rigging to accommodate pipes, wiring or other accessories with which a car may be equipped. Also, since the only depending portion on the anchoring plate is the post which extends down through the rear end of the drawbar structure, the latter may lie close to the bolster, thereby reducing to a minimum the distance to which the pivotal axis of the draft rigging must be shifted forwardly from the center of the bolster. The farther back that the actual pivotal axis of the draft gear lies, the smaller need be the distance that the coupler projects beyond the front end of the car in order to permit it to function properly on a car which was designed for draft riggings having their pivotal axis at the center of the bolster. In other words, my improved draft rigging may successfully be employed as replacements for or in lieu of draft riggings adapted to have their pivotal axes at the center of the holsters, without projecting objectionably beyond the ends of the cars.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a single preferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to thel exact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which come within the definitions of my invention constituting the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a horizontal anchor plate having a cylindrical post projecting downwardly therefrom, a transverse bearing member having an opening through which the post extends and in which it fits in the manner of a journal in its bearing, said bearing member having opposed bearing faces forming parts of the surface of a cylinder whose axis is horizontal and intersects the axis of the post, a drawbar embracing said bearing member and having bearing surfaces complementary to and engaging with said opposed faces of said bearing member, and'a detachable member at the lower end of the post projecting laterally underneath and supporting said bearing member.

2. In combination, a horizontal anchor plate, a bearing member below said plate in the form of a horizontal cylinder flattened on the top and bottom having a vertical cylindrical hole extending through the same at the middle, a cylindrical post extending downwardly from the plate through said hole and having a bearing therein so as to form a vertical journal about which said member may turn, a drawbar having a cavity in which' said bearing member is seated andl in which the cylindrical surfaces have a bearing fit to constitute a horizontal journal about which the drawbar may rock, a vertical bolt extending through said post, an element surround, ing the bolt below the post and extending under? neath and in engagement with said bearing member, and a nut on the bolt below and in engagement with said element, whereby, upon the removal of the nut, said bearing member and the drawbar may be removed in a downward direction from the post.

3. In combination, a horizontal anchor plate r having a cylindrical'post projecting downwardly therefrom, a transverse bearing member having a cylindrical opening through which the post extends and in which it has a bearing to prevent relative movements transversely of the post while permitting relative rotary movements about the axis of the post and relative movements in the direction of the length of the post, said member having opposed faces forming parts of the surface of a horizontal cylinder and having at the ends trunnions co-axial with said cylinder, and a drawbar having in one end a cavity in which said member with its trunnions is housed, said cavity being bounded by bearing surfaces in engagement with and complementary to the said opposed faces and the bearing faces o-f the trunnions.

4. In combination, a horizontal anchor plate having a cylindrical post projecting downwardly therefrom a transverse bearing member having an opening through which the post extends and in which it fits in the manner of a journal in its bearing, said member having opposed faces forming parts of the surface of a horizontal cylinder and having at the ends trunnions co-axialwith said cylinder, and a drawbar having in one end a cavity in which said member with its trunnions is positioned, the po-rtions of said drawbar surrounding said cavity being divided in a plane containing the axis of said cylinder and having bearing faces engaged with and complementary to said opposed faces and said trunnions, and means securing together the parts of the drawbar lying o-n opposite sides of said plane.

5. In combination, a horizontal anchor plate having a cylindrical post projecting downwardly therefrom, a drawbar comprising two aligned sections connected for cushioned relative lengthwise movements and also relative rotary movements, a transverse bearing member mounted and secured in one end of said drawbar to permit relative turning movements about a transverse axis, said bearing member having a central hole extending through the same from top to bottom, said post extending through and fitting rotatably in said hole to permit the drawbar to swing laterally, and detachable means at the lower end of the post underlying and supporting said bearing member and preventing the bearing member and the draw-bar from dropping down off the post.

6. In combination, a horizontal anchor plate hiaving a tubular post' projecting downwardly therefrom and having a top wall, a transverse bearing member having an opening through which the post extends and in which it ts in the manner of a journal, said bearing member having opposed faces forming parts of the surface of a cylinder whose axis is horizontal and intersects the axis of the post, a supporting plate engaged with the lower end of the post and overlapping said bearing member to hold the latter on the post, a bolt extending down through the post from above said top wall, and through said plate, a nut on the lower end of the bolt, and a drawbar embracing said bearing member and having surfaces complementary to and engaging with said opposed faces of said bearing member.

7. In combination, a horizontal anchor plate having a cylindrical post projecting downwardly therefrom, a transverse bearing member having anv opening through which the post extends and in which it fits, said member having opposed faces forming parts of the surface of a horizontal cylinder, a drawbar having in one end a cavity in which said member is positioned, the portion of said drawbar surrounding said cavity being divided in a plane containing the axis of said cylinder and having bearing faces engaged with and complementary to said opposed faces, means securing together the parts of the drawbar lying on the opposite sides of said plane, and detachable means engaged with the lower end of the post and underlying the said bearing member to hold said member on the post.

HERBERT E. VAN DoRN. 

